Employment Tips: How to turn an Internship into a Job Offer

Are you loving your internship? Ever wondered how you can use it to have a Career you love?

Bagging a full-time job you love is getting hard these days. While internships are often enjoyable, full-time jobs are not all beds of roses. If you are currently pursuing an internship that you are in love with, we would suggest you to convert it into a permanent job.

Wondering how? Read further.

Top 5 tips to convert your Internship to a Full-time Employment

It is of utmost importance that you first ask yourself a basic question: What exactly do you want to achieve from your internship?

If you are doing an internship under a lawyer, you might be aiming for a training contract with the firm, or if your internship is with an investment banking firm, you might want to secure an analyst’s role there. However, if you are not really looking forward to securing a job, you will definitely be making some contacts which may come handy in future.

Whatever your goal may be, focus on it and make the most of your internship.

Demonstrate Initiative

Moving fast is the key to turning an internship into a full-time job. Showing initiative is the best way to do this. Do the work assigned to you, but don’t shy away from expressing interest in other ongoing projects. Stand out of the crowd by letting your seniors know about the kind of skill set you are eager to develop. Your enthusiasm and tactful sharing of ideas will portray you as a great asset in front of your employers.

Keep your eyes open for new opportunities to learn. Do your internship keeping in mind the kind of skills you would like to build up. Setting your learning objectives ahead of time will help you stay a notch above your peers, thus making you an ideal candidate for any company.

Talk to Your Manager and Ask for Feedback

It’s always good to have an open and continuous dialogue with your manager about how you are meeting the expectations. Managers aren’t mind-readers; they are just as normal as the rest of us and won’t always know if you feel you are being stretched, challenged or overwhelmed by your work. Make sure you communicate how you are managing your work and whether you can take on additional responsibilities.

If you are struggling, have a conversation with your manager about this too. However, explain that you are trying your best, but you just need a few more tools or tips to help you get everything done, instead of cribbing about the ‘injustice’.

Receiving feedback is a crucial element of your internship. Some companies might have a well-defined way of giving feedback to their employees, but if your company is not one of them, be bold enough to seek some way or another to receive feedback.

This could be something as simple as asking your manager for a regular meeting (monthly or quarterly, whatever suits both of you), where you and your manager discuss your accomplishments and some constructive pointers on how you could improve. This also demonstrates your humility and keenness to learn and develop.

Be Proactive

All companies look for a proactive candidate, and you have to show them that you are one. There are several ways of doing that – one way is as simple as asking your manager for more work if you finish your projects well ahead of the deadline. This also shows that you are a fast worker and a team player. Alternatively, you can try your hand at suggesting new ideas to optimize any of the company’s processes.

Being an intern, you possess a fresh perspective on things. Use this to secure a job.

Be Your Best

Be your best at all times. Think of the internship as an extended hands-on interview. Your company is going to see how you work, how you communicate, how you carry yourself, and everything that comes in between. Make sure you are at your best in terms of professional behavior and work. Convince your employer through your actions that your motive is more than just being an intern and your full-time job would just be a matter of a formal interview.

So what are you waiting for? Follow the tips and make your job a more permanent one!